Bodyguard
by TheNuttyAuthor
Summary: 20 years ago, Horace was a promising doctor and in love with Nathan Wallace. Then something happened, and now he's become a hardened warrior and Repo Man with a split personality. When their paths cross again, Horace may be able to give Nathan a reason to live again. That is, if they aren't too stubborn to realize it. Nathan/OMC. AU.
1. Me Against The World

Disclaimer: I do not own _Repo! The Genetic Opera_, nor did I have any involvement in its production. This is done for fan purposes only, and the only things I own are my OCs for the story. I also do not own Simple Plan or the song "Me Against The World." The lyrics were not written or influenced by me, but I feel that the character of Horace Ironhammer can greatly identify with them. My RL friend Storychan also came up with the name of "Bladewhore" as Horace/Tobias' Repo moniker, and Seijika Himeko is her favorite OC.

Author's note: I'm attempting to rewrite a story that I can't say I did a good job on in the first place. I don't know if this version is any better, but I hope it fixes some of the more problematic issues with the first one. This is a fantasy-influenced AU pairing Nathan Wallace with an OMC; I hope that doesn't put anyone off.

Warnings for this chapter: Protagonist is a Repo Man, OC protagonist, split personality, violence, strong language, drug use, Largos, T-rated sexual references, song lyrics.

-ooooooo-

Tobias Val'daris drove through traffic on his motorcycle. It wasn't an elegant mode of travel; if Tobias had his choice, he'd have chosen a sporty car he could listen to smooth jazz in. Yet Horace had insisted that it was either this horrible motorcycle or riding the unreliable city bus everywhere they couldn't go on foot He'd reluctantly allowed Horace to purchase and maintain the bike. That thing might be inelegant and uncomfortable, but it was a couple of steps above the city bus; Horace had punished Tobias several times by going on the bus and giving up control of their body so that Tobias would suffer in discomfort for the entire ride.

He scowled when he noticed a traffic jam. Ah, fuck. Now he wouldn't be able to get to Mother's house. He'd promised her that he would accompany her to the fashion show she was allegedly holding for charity. Like a good firstborn drow son was obliged to. She was planning on holding it near the opium parlor.

The craving ran through Tobias' bones and he licked his lips in anticipation. He _adored_ opium. It made his head nice and fuzzy, inducing the most blissful state he'd ever felt. Perhaps more importantly, it was Tobias alone in his head. In _their_ head. Horace didn't bother him or try to seize control when Tobias took his opium; the crash from being high might suck, but drugs were the only way he could feel like there was only one person in there.

_Hey, asshole, I hate your fucking expensive opium_, Horace snarled in his head. Horace didn't have much appreciation for the finer things in life; he cared more for violence and ensuring the bills were paid. Tobias supposed _someone_ had to worry about their money, but Horace could be such a killjoy when dealing with expenses.

_You're not even real, Horace_, Tobias told him. _Now shut up and let me get my drugs.  
_

_Fuck off. Course I'm real. _ There was some doubt in Horace's voice. Tobias loved causing those moments; insecurity would eventually sneak up on Horace and leave Tobias the only one in control of their body. He couldn't wait for Horace to be gone forever.

_You're not real,_ Horace snarled. _You're just the man I made up in the funny farm._ Tobias could feel his grip on control slipping. He could feel Horace starting to push against him, shove him away from the chair Tobias currently sat in. Their brain was only supposed to have one personality. Tobias had always envisioned control as the driver's seat. He assumed it was a metaphor Horace understood as well, because he could feel himself being kicked out. He could see Horace, with his armored jeans and brown leather jacket, pushing him away.

-ooooooo-

They stared at each other. Somehow, they were two personalities in the same body. Neither one knew why he was sharing a body with someone he despised. The two men sized each other up, each looking for weaknesses in the other.

Horace wore a brown leather jacket; armored jeans that looked like they had been patched several times with red and black fabric; a black shirt and black steel-toed combat boots. His black hair was in a long braid, done for combat and intended to stay out of his face. The half-drow was raised by dwarves, holding himself like a trained warrior as he surveyed his opponent. The red messenger bag he carried had a patch that read "Zombie Apocalypse Survivor" and another that boasted GeneCo's logo. A sword was on his belt, sheathed in hard leather.

Tobias wore a black hooded trench coat; tailored black slacks; a white turtleneck and black dress shoes which _really were_ impractical for their job. His black hair was worn long and loose, done elegantly so that it didn't fall into his face. The half-drow man was raised by his mother Titania's people, holding himself like a trained assassin while staring defiantly at Horace. His tools were an array of knives, all on his belt as he gradually spread the trench coat out. Smirking, he smoked some opium from a pipe and closed his eyes.

"Give me back our body," Horace snarled.

Tobias choked on opium. "Ex-_scuse_ me? Give _you_ control? I thought you weren't real."

Rolling his eyes, Horace walked over to Tobias. He brandished his sword and held it to the other personality's throat. "Ah, shut the fuck up, asshole," he snarled. Tobias held his knife at Horace's throat, trying to capture the swordsman. Horace grabbed Tobias' arm and forced him to the ground. He sheathed his sword. Aimed his fist at Tobias' solar plexus. Punched. Tobias was out cold.

-ooooooo-

The traffic jam _finally _stopped, thank god. Horace Ironhammer plugged his headphones into the radio, tuning it into the classic rock station he listened to when in control of their body. He wouldn't let Tobias be in control for the rest of the day. Besides...it wasn't like what Tobias sad was true. Right? Horace certainly _felt_ real. He hoped that he was the real one and Tobias was full of shit. Drow were prone to fucking with people's heads. Horace should know. He'd lived with one in his head for a long time.

"Me Against The World" by Simple Plan started to play. Horace squeezed the handlebars on his bike and started to _move_. He could remember first hearing this song when he was a little boy, Ma telling him that music was better back in the early twenty-first century. Ma never cared much for a lot of modern tunes; he'd picked up an enjoyment of classic rock from her.

_We're not gonna be_  
_Just apart of their game_  
_We're not gonna be_  
_Just the victims_

Used to be, he couldn't identify with the song a whole lot. Lately, it felt like the Largo siblings and Tobias were trying to play a game with him. He couldn't quite figure out what that game was, though. What would he become the victim of? He didn't know. No. Not the time to dwell on that. He drove on, wanting to get to GeneCo before Rotti decided to dock his pay for some stupid, petty reason. Or, worse, the doughnut line and breakfast buffet at work would be totally decimated and he'd have nothing to eat in the morning. Money problems were one thing, but hunger was a pain in the ass.

_They're taking our dreams_  
_And they tear them apart_  
_'til everyone's the same_

Some dumb human in traffic beeped her horn at him because he was on a bike. Horace didn't have a horn to beep. Instead, he drove away and did his best to reach work. He couldn't remember the last time he had a dream. Hell, he didn't know the last time he'd had ambition beyond being a Repo Man for GeneCo. He knew he'd wanted to be a doctor when he was a kid. When had he lost that dream?

_I've got no place to go_  
_I've got nowhere to run_  
_They love to watch me fall_  
_They think they know it all_

Did he have anywhere to go? Hell yeah he didn't have anywhere to go. _Preach it, song_, he thought. Simple Plan had died in the Organ Epidemic, so he couldn't exactly talk to them now. But...Horace wasn't even safe in his own head. He could feel Tobias waking up. _Step on it. Dammit, I gotta step on it before he takes me to some designer clothing place or forces me to eat health food for breakfast._ Tobias thought he was so goddamn smart that he never figured out that, a long time ago, Horace used to be some kind of doctor prodigy medical whiz-kid. Wasn't often Horace got to use that knowledge, though; he'd quit that job after Tobias got into his head and started work as a Repo Man.

_I'm a nightmare, a disaster_  
_That's what they always said_  
_I'm a lost cause, not a hero_  
_But I'll make it on my own_  
_I've gotta prove them wrong_  
_Me against the world_  
_It's me against the world_

Sometimes it felt like he was fighting a losing battle against himself. He turned right at an intersection-didn't know which one, to be honest, he was shit at directions-and drove straight to GeneCo, humming under his breath before he parked his bike. At least Rotti gave GeneCo employees an employee parking lot. He didn't know how he'd be able to afford a parking garage with all the money Tobias spent on crap they didn't need.

-ooooooo-

When Horace walked into GeneCo, he spotted a human man holding up the doughnut line. Something was familiar about the brunette, but he couldn't quite place it. All he knew was that _someone_ had to talk to the bastard preventing everyone else from eating doughnuts. God, some people were _so indecisive_. He hated that kind of person. Yet everyone else was being so damn polite and not bringing up the issue to Indecisive Doughnut Dude.

"Hi, Horace." Seijika Himeko, a new employee from Japan, waved at him. For some reason, she actually gave a damn about if he was okay or not. Pissed him off that she wouldn't leave him alone, but what was he supposed to do? Just ignore her? Besides, they were in the same boat of being broke-ass Repo Men. They called her the Woman in Black at work. He guessed she scared people. Hell, he guessed _he_ scared people.

He walked over to her, standing behind the petite woman. "Hey." He shrugged, trying to appear all nonchalant about the Tobias Situation. She _probably_ didn't know about Tobias. Nobody at work knew about Tobias, and Horace wanted to keep it that way.

"Are you going to do anything about that poor man?" She looked concerned. He groaned. Why was it that, during the scant few weeks she was here, Himeko had managed to guilt him into getting involved in more shit than he'd done in the past twenty years? He didn't know. All he knew was that he didn't wanna piss her off. She gave a damn about him. He'd put up with a lot of bullshit for someone who gave a damn about him.

"What, the asshole who's holding up the doughnut line? I was thinkin' of letting the boss-man solve it. Ain't my problem."

Himeko looked all upset. Horace had a daughter around her age. He didn't like seeing his daughter all upset either. "Fine. I'll do it," he growled. A soft smile came over her face, and he started walking up to the goddamn doughnut box. There to confront the thief. Dammit, he really didn't want to do this, but he guessed Himeko knew nobody else was gonna step up.

"The fuck is goin' on here?" he roared.

Indecisive Doughnut Dude turned around to stare at him. Something about that bespectacled face was familiar. Horace just couldn't figure out _what_. "I c-can't pick out a doughnut," he said. Horace rolled his eyes. He grabbed a chocolate glazed doughnut and handed it to Indecisive Doughnut Dude.

"Take this one. Everyone loves chocolate," he said. Indecisive Doughnut Dude smiled at him and took a bite. Why was that smile familiar? He thought he recognized it, thought he saw that man when he was younger. Horace turned around, about to walk to the end of the line, when he noticed all his idiot coworkers-and Himeko, who wasn't an idiot, but _was_ one of his coworkers-grinning like complete morons.

"Nathan Wallace has his doughnut! We can now proceed to get doughnuts in an orderly fashion!" his fellow coworkers yelled. "Horace Ironhammer prevented a strike!"

Oh, god. Those fools were going to _strike_ over some doughnuts? Wait. _Nathan Wallace_? He _knew_ there was something familiar about Indecisive Doughnut Dude. Nathan had been his med school roommate for four years. Why the hell hadn't he recognized him?

He walked to the end of the line, not knowing how he was going to deal with this.


	2. Makes Me Wonder

Disclaimer: I do not own _Repo! The Genetic Opera_, nor did I have any involvement in its production. This is done for fan purposes only, and the only things I own are my OCs for the story. I also do not own Maroon Five or the song "Makes Me Wonder." The lyrics were not written or influenced by me, but I feel that the character of Horace Ironhammer can greatly identify with them. My RL friend Storychan also came up with the name of "Bladewhore" as the Repo Unit name Horace and Tobias share, and Seijika Himeko is her favorite OC. Katsuya Takane also belongs to Storychan.

Author's note: Despite how tough and manly Horace is, he does have an odd habit that embarrasses him because it makes him feel like he's soft and weak. I hope I'm portraying Horace and Tobias as interesting characters. Not trying to make a statement with them about how being gay doesn't define who they are, just trying to write an out gay man (with a split personality who shares his sexual orientation) in a different way from what's expected.

-ooooooo-

Once he took a spot in the GeneCo Doughnut Line, Horace knew that if he left, he would not get a doughnut. Damn coworkers cared about doughnuts _that much_. He wanted a smoke badly, but he ignored the urge to wait his turn in line. Soon enough, he managed to get to the front; his coworkers had atrocious taste in doughnuts, having taken all of the jelly and coconut. _Thank god for coworkers who don't like chocolate doughnuts!_ He snagged the chocolate glazed he wanted.

His stomach growled, and he crammed the doughnut in his mouth to shut it up. Tobias must have eaten salad last night. God, he was starving.

He was still in front of the doughnut box. Thank god. Horace snatched a chocolate doughnut he thought had vanilla cream in it and stormed toward the door.

"Horace! Where are you going?" Himeko asked. Horace turned toward her, staring in confusion. Why the hell did she care about where he went? He was old enough to be her father! Hell, she probably _did_ think of him as a father; he'd stepped in to help take care of her when she confessed she had nowhere to stay, offering her a place in his shitty apartment.

She had a three-year-old daughter, Takane. His Kossak adored Takane, spending half her time in wolf form and allowing the little girl to play with her. Kossak didn't normally _like_ little kids. Horace _had_ to let Himeko stay.

"Ya gotta interrogate me over goin' outside to have a smoke just 'cause we live together? Fuckin' weird," he said. He shoved the doughnut in his mouth and bit down, shooting her a glare just so he could keep up appearances of being a hardass.

The doughnut was gooey chocolate glazed and practically oozed vanilla cream into his mouth, so of course Tobias had to make a comment. _Ick! This is fatty crap! Why are you abusing our body with doughnuts?_

_Cause they're delicious. Now shut the fuck up. I'm hungry.  
_

-ooooooo-

Himeko didn't know about Horace's most embarrassing habit. He'd managed to hide it from everyone for twenty years thanks to a series of sunglasses, hats, and weirdly styled hair he'd use when purchasing his books. Not even the _cashiers_ knew who he was; he'd pay for all of his embarrassing purchases with cash and leave. That was a good thing. Otherwise, someone would have blackmail on him, and he couldn't really afford to have anyone blackmail him.

He slumped against the wall and pulled his new book from his bag. He'd just gotten the humiliating thing from the Booktastic a couple of days ago, and hadn't even put a fake back cover on it. He shouldn't have brought it to work, but it was the first in a new series from the same guy who wrote his favorite. No, _their_ favorite; he and Tobias might not have much in common, but they both had a taste for gay romance novels. He blamed his stay in Crazy Town for that.

The new book was called _Last Resort_ and appeared to feature a buff male dwarf in full armor and holding a heavy war hammer. He was back to back with a stout male human in a space-age armored jumpsuit wielding a sword, both of them appearing to face off against a whole bunch of zombies. Anyone looking at just the cover would think Horace had a standard post-apocalyptic sci-fi novel. He liked that about his chosen genre; unfortunately, a look at the back would reveal in no uncertain terms that the novel featured a romance. That was why Horace made fake covers for the backs of his novels. He made them seem as manly and close to the original as possible, so that everyone assumed he was pure hardass with no soft side for anyone but Kossak.

He pulled out his cigarettes and lighter to smoke while he read. His fingers brushed up against Tobias' pipe, and his hands started to shake with nervousness. _Tobias. What the hell did Tobias do with this pipe? I remember smoking it this morning when I woke up with Pavi. God. What _happened _last night? I'm scared._

-ooooooo-

Horace had woken up in the morning to the radio blaring "Makes Me Wonder" by Maroon 5. He _rarely_ slept with the radio on; while he loathed sleeping in silence, he used the TV in his room for noise if the sounds of NNYC couldn't cut it. His eyes felt bloodshot, and he shook his head in confusion. What _happened_ last night? He couldn't remember a thing.

All he knew was that last night had felt weirdly good. He didn't know what happened. Just that he must have drank too much and then something happened. He could remember Tobias taking over last night, but he didn't really know why. A lot of bad shit happened whenever Tobias took over. Knowing his luck, this was just like the time he'd woken up and found that Tobias had screwed around with a few drow politician men who didn't know that _Horace_ existed. Total awkward moment when he tried to act like Tobias and get the hell out of there.

_I wake up with blood-shot eyes_  
_ Struggled to memorize_  
_ The way it felt between your thighs_  
_ Pleasure that made you cry_  
_ Feels so good to be bad_  
_ Not worth the aftermath, after that_  
_ After that_  
_ Try to get you back_

He felt arms around him. Had he gone to bed with a one-night stand and forgotten to turn off the radio? Probably. He didn't remember picking a guy up last night, but he must've been drunk out of his mind. The arms felt nice and cozy; he relaxed into the touch, rubbing his eyes before turning to look at the nightstand. He could set the radio to a nice modern pop station. Kossak liked that kind of stuff, and Takane put up with

His bleary eyes glanced at the nightstand. Huh. Usually it was covered in a plethora of his books. So either Tobias moved his books, _he_ moved his books last night, or this wasn't his room. He'd been rereading one of the sex scenes in his favorite post-apocalyptic romance, _Blood Brothers_, and had to hide it on the nightstand out of shamefully wanting to be in the swordsman's place. God, doctors were so hot.

_I still don't have the reason_  
_And you don't have the time_  
_And it really makes me wonder_  
_If I ever gave a fuck about you_

"Ah! It is The Horace!" Horace turned around to find that he was being cuddled by _Pavi Largo_. The boss-man's freak son. What was going on?

"Gah! Pavi? What the fuck are you doing here? Get outta my room!" He assumed, for the sake of his mental health, that it was his own room and Pavi had broken in and redecorated. He could feel his words slurred, and realized he had a pipe in his mouth. _Tobias'_ pipe. Why did he have Tobias' pipe in his mouth? He didn't know. Maybe Tobias had invited Pavi in to redecorate the place.

"A-you don't a-remember?" Pavi giggled and squeezed Horace's bare ass. Horace stared blankly at the little freak. He started thrashing against Pavi, seeing a monster, seeing the padded walls of his solitary confinement cell. Maybe he was still having a nightmare. No, no, he always got up early so that he could wake up Kossak and make her breakfast. This was around the same time he would normally wake up.

_Give me something to believe in_  
_Cause I don't believe in you anymore_  
_Anymore_  
_I wonder if it even makes a difference to try_  
_(Yeah)_  
_So this is goodbye_

_God damn my spinning head_  
_Decisions that made my bed_  
_Now I must lay in it_  
_And deal with things I've left unsaid_  
_I want to dive into you_  
_Forget what you're going through_  
_I get behind, make your move_  
_Forget about the truth_

Horace couldn't believe that Pavi was doing this out of the pure goodness of his heart. Mostly because he was convinced Pavi had a black hole in place of his heart and _goodness_ contradicted the idea.

He had flashes of Tobias letting Pavi _fuck _him and cooing in satisfaction at the way it felt. Ew ew ew. Rotti's son had fucked him! Well, he'd fucked Tobias, but it was still _their body_. Which meant that Horace should have been able to veto this horrible decision! "My memory is _exactly_ why I'm leaving! Go to hell, Pavi!"

"The Horace a-wasn't a-satisfied? Everybody loves the Pavi!" Pavi started to get up out of bed. Horace started dressing. _How soon can I dress before he gets me? I hope I beat him! _Thank god Tobias hadn't changed their clothes. Red and black boxers. Patched armored jeans. A black t-shirt. Brown leather jacket. Black steel-toed combat boots. Red messenger bag with "Zombie Apocalypse Survivor" and the GeneCo logo patched onto it. Pavi was out of bed. Horace started running. He didn't look back until he was on his bike and starting to drive the hell away from there.

That was when his morning from hell started. Predictably, it was a Tuesday.

-ooooooo-

He spotted Nathan Wallace walking towards him. Not his ex! He and Nathan had dated for a long time back before Horace went to the funny farm; Horace had thought Nathan was his soulmate back when he believed in romantic bullshit applying to _him_. It was just that they'd seemed like two halves of one person back then. He'd felt complete in a way he didn't think he had since. Course, it wasn't like anyone could be happy forever. He'd learned that lesson the painful way.

Twenty years ago, he'd been thinking that he'd ask Nathan to marry him. That was the day where everything went to hell. He'd taken the bus to a seedy part of town by accident and had attempted to take a shortcut that would bring him home. Then he literally bumped into a guy who recognized him from the hospital where he worked. One of Horace's coworkers back then; he couldn't quite remember the other man's name. He called that guy "Sunglasses". That was the first thing Sunglasses broke of Horace's during the day of hell. The guy had flirted with Horace for weeks, but Horace didn't really notice it until a fist punched him in the face.

That coworker brutalized him. All in the name of believing Horace and Sunglasses were meant to be together. To be honest, Horace didn't remember a lot of the ordeal. Just the most painful parts of it, which was saying a lot; according to the security camera nearby, Sunglasses did a ton of bad shit. He'd been delivered home after Sunglasses had beaten the shit out of him. Horace was broken. He'd been turned into a shell of a man, all because one guy thought Horace wasn't his own person. He didn't acknowledge anyone. He remembered his friends being scared and worried. Then Rotti put Horace in the nuthouse after a week had passed and Horace still hadn't returned to normal. Rotti thought the place would help, but he was wrong. There were a lot of mean guys in the funny farm who kept beating him up; somehow, Horace got in trouble whenever he tried to fight back while the men who beat him up never did. He thought that was when Tobias became a person, but he wasn't sure who had been sentenced to the nuthouse originally.

When he got out, he didn't think Nathan even cared about him. After all, Nathan never visited. So he broke up with him and cut Nathan out of his life. It was probably for the best. Nathan's wife, Marni, had told him Nathan was always in love with _her_ and not _Horace_ before she died. No wonder Nathan never visited. He'd abandoned Horace and upgraded to the woman he'd always been in love with.

-ooooooo-

"Hey, Horace."

"Yo. Sup, Nathan?" He really wasn't sure what to say without sounding awkward.

"Mind if I smoke with you?" Nathan gestured to the pack of cigarettes in Horace's right hand. He hadn't even lit one up before Nathan came in there! Oh god! What was going on here? He'd successfully evaded being around his ex for twenty years! Was it enough to remove the blush spreading across his face? Gah!

Horace wanted to hit Nathan. He wanted to slap himself for the bubbles of joy in his stomach because his ex was giving a damn about him. He wanted to say no. He wanted to tell Nathan to fuck off and never bother him again. He wanted to run away and never come back to GeneCo NNYC. Instead, he looked at his ex and a stupid goofy grin spread across his face. Something just felt _right_ about being around Nathan right now. He didn't know what it was, but his heart seemed to beat faster and faster in this annoying way that made him just blush some more. God. What was _wrong_ with him? He could feel himself not breathing right. Wrong. All wrong.

Did this smile spreading across his face mean anything? It felt foreign. He didn't smile for a lot of people who were still alive. Ma. Himeko. Kossak. Takane. Cousin Thorin. Cousin Frerin. How was Nathan now included in this elite category? This was so odd! He stared at Nathan in confusion, seeing a look of _confusion_ and _joy_ on the other man's face. Looked kind of identical to what Horace thought was his facial expression. "Sure. You can smoke with me." He handed a cigarette and his lighter to Nathan; his ex lit up, and Horace pulled out a cigarette of his own. He reached for the lighter.

Nathan pressed his cigarette to Horace's. He could see a blush on Nathan's face, a soft smile that seemed like Nathan thought he was happy. _What the fuck is happening? I want to run! But Nathan ain't giving me the lighter._ Horace put the cigarette in his mouth, laughing as he blew smoke in Nathan's face. He took a few puffs, bubbling happiness running through him. Christ, what was wrong with him?

He snarled, "You never gave a damn about me in the first place, so why start hangin' around me now?"

Nathan angrily blew smoke in Horace's face. "Of course I cared! I was in love with you, Horace!"

"Oh, sure. Say that _now_ and try to fuck with my emotions. I don't believe you." Horace bent down and hid _Last Resort_ in his bag. The last thing he wanted was Nathan to tease him for reading a romance novel. He straightened up to his feet and graced Nathan with a glare.

"You're the one who broke up with me!" cried Nathan. Horace punched him and blew smoke at his face. Damn glasses. Couldn't hurt Nathan's eyes.

Tears were starting to spill down Horace's face, and he had no idea why. He was fucking _pissed_, right? Badasses didn't cry. "I had to! You didn't care about me! You never fucking visited! You never came!"

"They told me you weren't ready for visitors every time I came!"

"Oh, really? I bet you're making that up. What a liar."

"Do you even _know_ what they said?" Nathan looked a bit hurt, sighing a bit. _Good_. Horace smirked and crossed his arms. He kicked his bag away before stepping right in front of the other man.

"Oh, no. They never told me _anything_ in that hellhole except 'we're putting you in the special cell.' But I know that you were just waiting for me to go crazy so that you could date _Marni_ instead! You never loved me! Hell, I doubt you were even into men in the first place!" He turned away when he felt some tears falling down his face.

Nathan looked like he was going to say something, but Horace's phone rang. Kossak's ringtone, "Who Let The Werewolves Out," blared, and Horace picked it up, accepting the call. He knew it was rude. Like he gave a damn what Nathan thought!

"Sup, kiddo?"

"Hey, Dad. I'm having a great time with Grandma."

Nathan glanced at him. "You have a _kid_?"

He covered up the phone and snapped, "Her name's Kossak. Now do you _mind_? I'm trying to talk with my daughter here."

"I didn't know about her."

"Damn right you didn't! Ain't like you really gave a damn about me after I got sent to the nuthouse!"

Nathan puffed on his cigarette and walked up to Horace. He blew smoke in the half-drow's face, scowling at him. "I loved you. You're the one who thought you weren't any good for _me_ after the funny farm!"

Horace bared his teeth. "You _loved _me? _Marni_ told me that you were just waiting for me to go to the nuthouse so that you could date her!"

"I can't believe my dear Marni would lie like that."

"Marni wasn't no liar and we both know it! You know, you never called me 'my dear Horace' when we were dating! What, were you ashamed of me?"

"I never called you that, but it didn't mean I never loved you! I just..."

"You just _what_? You just felt so ashamed you were dating a man? You just didn't want to make _Marni_ jealous?"

Kossak bellowed, "Dad! You there? Did I lose the connection?"

Shit. He'd forgotten about the phone. "Sorry, honey. Just arguing with a dumbass coworker. Sup?"

"I'm at the Graveyard! It's a blast! Everyone's there!" _Oh shit. What have I told Kossak about not going to goddamn graveyards? I gotta save her ass. She's fourteen, for god's sake. Can't let her turn out like me. I'm fucked up beyond all repair.  
_

Horace took a drag on his cigarette to calm himself down and narrowed his eyes. He could hear screaming on the phone, and assumed Kossak was in trouble. Some graverobber had to be chasing her. Or anyone else she brought with her. Where _was_ she? He assumed it was a real graveyard. Had to be. Kossak always talked about going to the graveyard, and he always said no. "Send me the GPS coordinates. I'll be there. Don't fuckin' move."

He hung up before Kossak could say anything else. Soon enough, his phone dinged, revealing the GPS coordinates for the graveyard she'd somehow gotten stuck in. God. Horace had to save her from becoming like him. She was all he had; he'd do anything to keep her safe. Pay whatever price necessary so that she turned out normal. Not that "normal" meant much when Kossak was saddled with a parent like him.

-ooooooo-

"I'm coming with you," Nathan said. He'd followed Horace inside work. Everyone else was gone for some reason. Horace didn't really care; all he wanted was to clock out so that he could get Kossak. He'd drop her at their cheap-ass apartment and then go back to work after delivering a Parental Lecture about Not Visiting The Goddamn Graveyard And Getting Kidnapped.

"Like hell you are. Stay away from me!"

"Horace, you're all worked up from our argument. Going by yourself in a state like that will only make you more stressed."

"Whatever."

Horace searched in his bag for the emergency ransom money he kept with him. He'd been laughed at for keeping a briefcase of emergency money with him before, but now his precaution was justified. Ah! _That _was where he'd put it! Yes! He grabbed the briefcase and his emergency handcuffs. Nathan walked close to him. Horace fumbled with the handcuffs, nervously trying to cuff himself to the ransom money. Nathan held the briefcase, presumably so that Horace wouldn't miss. What was wrong with his ex? Didn't that bastard realize Horace was only getting _more _nervous with him there? He heard a click. Started to move. It was so hard. Why couldn't he move without feeling like he was dragging a twenty-pound bowling ball with him?

"Uh, Horace? I think you handcuffed us together." Oh. Shit. Horace looked at the handcuffs. He _was_ handcuffed to Nathan. To make matters worse, Kossak had the key for his handcuffs on her charm bracelet. At least she wore her charm bracelet every day, but Horace knew there was no getting out of being stuck with Nathan for now. Fuck. Why did he have to cuff himself to his ex? He'd practiced handcuffing himself to the briefcase _for months_ before today! Well, at least they still had the briefcase.

"Dammit. I don't have the key. My daughter does."

Nathan laughed. Horace shook his head in irritation. "Come on, Nathan. If we're handcuffed, you better make yourself useful and be my backup. I'll be your bodyguard." This was just like that scene in _Blood Brothers_ where Rick Bladesinger had cuffed himself to Doctor Samuel and they had to fight monsters! Horace didn't know if he should be overjoyed that he was living in his favorite romance novel or pissed off that it couldn't happen to him and a man who _wasn't his ex_. Gah! This was so confusing!

-ooooooo-

Horace realized that there was no way in hell he'd be able to drive his bike with Nathan attached to him. Mostly because he'd only practiced the handcuff scenario with a _goddamn briefcase_. He'd never thought he'd be stuck handcuffed to someone. Without the key. "We're gonna need to take your car."

"Sure. You know how to drive a VW Tsunami?" Horace glanced at Nathan's car. He didn't like that blue car, and he knew it wouldn't like him either. Reluctantly, he shook his head. He couldn't drive _anything _handcuffed, and they both knew it.

Nathan just laughed at him. Horace got into the passenger seat of the VW Tsunami, groaning as he yanked Nathan in to drive. "Come on, sweetie," he teased. "I'll give directions, you drive." He felt uncomfortable tingles run through him at the thought of being in the car with Nathan for a long time. God, he was living in one of his romance novels. With a bloody annoying guy.

-ooooooo-

They couldn't drive _either_ vehicle. Which left the city bus. According to Google Maps, Bus 78-B would take them to Kossak's location. When Horace looked at the name, he groaned. Of course Ma would take Kossak to a mega-mall Horace had never been to. It was so damn weird that a _graveyard_ was located near the mega-mall, but he wasn't the sort of person who critiqued city planning.

He and Nathan got on Bus 78-B, handcuffed to each other. Horace scowled at the handcuffs. He eyed the briefcase and made a disgusted face. Good lord, that thing had gotten him into this mess. If only he'd handcuffed himself to the briefcase like he'd planned. To make matters worse, people on the bus seemed to think that he and Nathan were _dating_. Ick.

It wasn't like his ex was _ugly_. Hell no. Because justice was in short supply around NNYC, Nathan had grown older but was still hot. Dammit. Horace had hoped Nathan would have become old, fat, and too hideous to get laid. Sometimes, in his more juvenile moments, he would use Photoshop to age pictures of Nathan the way he wanted to see his ex if they ever met. Horace knew people were checking Nathan out. Hell, if he didn't know it was Nathan Wallace, _he'd_ be checking Nathan out. Now all he could do was scowl and hope that he could get revenge later on.

Bus 74-B was, mercifully, fast. It and Google Maps took them to a mega-mall that appeared to have four floors. It appeared that a water park was attached to it-who shaped those things like tombstones anyway? The mega-mall was painted in gigantic bright pink and neon orange polka dots on a blue background; in Horace's inexpert opinion, his eyes were in physical pain from looking at the color scheme. He and Nathan got off, and Horace eyed the mega-mall with suspicion. Now he knew why he'd never been in this one. Kossak had probably asked some time ago, and he must have vetoed it on the grounds of "it's too damn ugly."

His phone rang, blaring Kossak's ring tone. Horace picked it up, scowling at the mega-mall before he started walking closer to it. "Yo."

"Dad, just follow my GPS signal through the mega-mall. See you soon."

"I seriously thought you were in an actual graveyard. Damn water parks these days."

He could practically see Kossak roll her eyes at him. "_Dad_. Come on. I ain't stupid."

Horace narrowed his eyes. "Hang on, kiddo. I brought backup. We're coming for you." He felt nervous, but he started running. He couldn't stop running till he got to the entrance; Nathan, by his side, matched Horace's pace for every stride he took.

-ooooooo-

Predictably, Horace tripped up the step leading to the entrance. He fell onto Nathan, blushing when he found that he was straddling the other man. _Gah! I'm on top of Nathan! Eep! He's gonna think I'm _such_ a pervert! Especially after the Handcuff Incident! _"Sorry! Sorry!"

"No, my bad! I should've caught you! I was right by your side!"

"You must think I'm a perv! I'm not! It was an accident, I swear!" Horace hauled them up to their feet and tried to get as far away from Nathan while being handcuffed as possible. It was pretty damn hard, since the handcuffs weren't _extendable_ by any stretch of the imagination, but he yanked and tugged at them as hard as he could.

He noticed Nathan was blushing. Hell, _Horace_ was blushing cause of this. He heard the _click_ of security cameras and just knew he'd never hear the end of this. At least, Nathan probably wouldn't shut up about it, knowing Horace's shitty luck.

"Does this mean you like me?"

"I'm not still attracted to you! You're gross!" His cheeks started flushing again. Dammit! What the hell was wrong with him?


	3. Unstable

Disclaimer: I do not own _Repo! The Genetic Opera_, nor did I have any involvement in its production. This is done for fan purposes only, and the only things I own are my OCs for the story. I also do not own Chaotica or the song "Unstable." My RL friend Storychan also came up with the name of "Bladewhore" as the Repo Unit name Horace and Tobias share, and Seijika Himeko is her favorite OC that she generously allowed me to write about. Katsuya Takane also belongs to Storychan.

Author's note: Horace can be a bit of an unreliable narrator, particularly concerning his little sister.

-ooooooo-

The stupid mall's interior was a nice, sensible pale blue, which Horace attributed to the damn _overly creative exterior designer_ being fired. He looked down at his phone to check where she was. His eyes lit up with shock, and he stared at the GPS app. _She's at the karaoke club entrance? Oh god _why_?_ "Any idea where she is?" Nathan asked.

"Yeah. Come on. Move your stupid ass." Horace started walking, yanking hard on the cursed handcuffs when Nathan didn't keep up. He went past a huge Booktastic, which was advertising some cheesy novels, judging by the display. Who the hell bought drivel like _Forged _or _Repo! Redeemed Killer_? Nathan started to dawdle. The bookstore was a dangerous place for both of them; those things were good as insidious traps that could get him lost in there for hours while Kossak used his credit card to shop.

_She's my sister, not my kid. Why do I always forget this? Right, Ma failed to use diapers—she got bullshit "Diaper Free Werewolf Puppy" advice—for the first few months when she was a baby and I stepped in to help. God, what's wrong with me? Why can't I ever remember that? She's just so young._

"Hey. They've got some new fantasy and mysteries in."

"Seriously? This ain't no time to look at books," snarled Horace. He tugged on the handcuffs and tried to walk, but Nathan _stayed put_ right where he was. Stubborn bastard. God knew that books brought out the worst in him. To make matters worse, Nathan attempted Horace's tactic and headed towards the bookstore. Gah!

Tobias oozed his way to the forefront of Horace's mind. What a jerk. _Maybe I can try getting him to move. He won't move for _you_ or your crude tactics._

_Shut the fuck up, Tobias. My sister needs me to save her._

_What? From the dastardly foe of karaoke?__ Tobias rolled his eyes. Oh. Right. The bastard never took anything seriously enough._

_Yes! Now if I can only get Asshole to move..._

_Leave it to me, _Tobias purred. Ew. Sounded so oozy and like he was trying to imitate high class morons. Horace could feel himself shoved out of the way as Tobias took control of their body. "Nathan," Tobias began. "Don't you think Kossak's predicament is more important? She'll be performing _karaoke_ if we don't save her."

Horace pushed forward. Punched Tobias. Stepped into control. "Come on already! Let's go save my sister from the tenth circle of hell!"

"You mean karaoke."

"Hell yes I mean karaoke! Come on! Let's go!"

Nathan cocked his head at Horace. "I thought you were her father."

"Ain't important, let's go _now_!" He tugged on the handcuffs, whacking them a few times with his briefcase, and tried to run; Nathan somehow managed to drag him into the bookstore with a few tugs on the handcuffs that almost knocked him flat on his ass when he tried to escape. What the hell. Nathan wasn't this strong the last time they'd gone somewhere together. Granted, the last time had been a month before he'd been put in the nuthouse. The day after that, Sunglasses got him.

-ooooooo-

Predictably, Nathan gravitated right towards the medical thrillers. Horace remembered that they'd read the worst ones to laugh at medical and scientific inaccuracy. Typical surGEN behavior. Argh, why wasn't Nathan _going the fuck away_ from this bookstore? Horace wanted Kossak safe from karaoke! Right that instant! As a fancy assassin, Tobias knew how to pick locks; Horace wouldn't know how to escape if he were given _Picking Handcuff Locks For Dummies_ to read. He wasn't going to let the fancy drow-raised asshole take over. Kossak was _his_ problem. Karaoke…oh holy shit, they were all doomed if Rotti managed to rent the mall for karaoke.

His phone rang. Horace picked it up, knowing how rude it seemed if he answered while handcuffed to a moron. So he answered. "Ironhammer," he said.

Rotti barked, "Ironhammer. If you and Wallace don't get your asses down to the karaoke place in ten minutes, you're both fired."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Largo. I'm handcuffed to Wallace at the moment and I ain't got no key to escape! We're in the fuckin' Booktastic! How's we gonna get to the karaoke place from here?"

Nathan elbowed him. He scowled at Horace, who stuck out his tongue at his ex.

"Just get out of the bookstore," Rotti growled.

"I'll try, but Wallace is stuck in the medical thrillers an' I gots a briefcase full of _money _in my hand!" Because Horace had the Luck of the Incredibly Unlucky, a whole bunch of pushy Booktastic salespeople showed up the moment he mentioned the briefcase. Dear god, what was wrong with those people?

"Hello, sir! Would you and your boyfriend like to buy something?" asked a pushy saleswoman.

"He ain't my boyfriend, I'm just handcuffed to him!" Horace started running as far as he could go with Nathan handcuffed to him. At least the dumbass was going with him; Horace wondered if fear of Rotti motivated Nathan. It sure as hell motivated him! They sprinted out of the Booktastic, Horace still holding the briefcase. He wasn't letting go of it for _anything_. Kossak needed to remove the handcuffs anyway!

-ooooooo-

With about thirty seconds to spare, Horace sprinted into the karaoke place, Nathan running alongside him. _Twenty years ago, we wouldn't have been able to run like this. Nathan's a surGEN and I'm a Repo Man, but I didn't think surGENs had to run unless they were doing surgeries. I guess Nathan must have been working out. Damn! Why the hell is that hot? Kill me now!_ He noticed that it was aptly named: Karaoke from Hell. Good lord, _why_? Wait, this was Rotti. He should've expected no less from the boss-man.

"Mr. Largo! We're here!" Horace yelled. He held up his handcuffed hand, glad that Nathan moved with him. Kossak scurried up to Horace, apparently having noticed his smell. She barked at him, and he nodded to her, holding out the handcuffs.

A _click_, and he was free. No more Nathan cuffed to his hand! God yes this was amazing! A boon for him! He hugged Kossak, and she jumped into his arms, apparently forgetting that she wasn't a puppy right now. She was in human form, and Horace swore she weighed as much as a large female mastiff. One hundred and twenty pounds wasn't a lot on a human girl, but her wolf form was approximately the same size as a mastiff mix. "You came! Big brother, you came! I signed you up to be the first karaoke performer!" She nuzzled against him.

He dropped her, freezing in shock as what she said entered his mind. Karaoke. Him. Perform karaoke. Oh god, he couldn't do that. Good lord, what had he done? Or maybe Rotti was looking for a volunteer.

_I'm the first karaoke performer? Holy shit, Kossak hates me. Did I not make her a good school lunch yesterday? Oh shit. Tobias gave her salad, and I forgot to remove the salad from her lunch. Shit. We're doomed,_ he thought.

Tobias once again came to the forefront of his mind. It was like he wanted to take charge right now, and Horace almost let him. Except that he had a reputation to uphold, and that rep would _not_ be helped if he performed karaoke while singing one of those songs that Tobias liked.

"Please get on stage! Please, please, please! I want you to perform, big brother! Come on, Horace! It'll be fun!" Kossak's golden eyes were glowing, black pigtails shaking with each bob of her head. Good lord, what the fuck had his sister gotten him into?

"No, Kossak." That was when she shifted into wolf form and busted out the sad puppy eyes. She whined and barked, licking at his hand in an attempt to pat her. He scratched his ears, suspecting that he'd lost the war the second she shifted. "_Fine_, Kossak. I'll karaoke for you."

Horace trudged toward the stage, only barely noticing that Kossak had shifted back. She was dressed in her school uniform of red blazer, black tie, and black skirt. Oh god, Kossak had convinced Ma to come here from _school_. Or, worse, it was a half-day and nobody had bothered to inform him. It would be just like Our Lady of Perpetual Homework not to mention that Kossak had a half-day. Or even the day off. Our Lady of Perpetual Homework liked messing with Horace's head because Kossak was just a scholarship student and Horace was her brother.

The song catalog was before him once he stood on the stage. Tobias said, _Pick "Toxic" by Brittney Spears!_

_No. I ain't gonna sing songs that'll make me seem camp._

"Ironhammer," Rotti snapped. "Pick your goddamn song or I'm choosing for you."

Horace looked at the song catalog. He let out a sigh. "I'm going to sing 'Unstable' by Chaotica."

The music started, and he took the microphone. If he had to sing…he might as well make it good.

_Gotta run, gotta run till I fall_

_Gotta keep on feeding the crave. _

_Gotta build, gotta build up my wall, _

_Gonna keep on digging my grave. _

Horace was stubborn. He was a fighter. He didn't know how to get himself out of his own messes. But, perhaps more importantly, he kept fighting until he couldn't fix his battles. He knew it was a bad idea, but he'd been like that ever since he left the goddamn nuthouse. He wasn't anything but _strong Horace_ now. But he'd burned his bridges and ruined his relationships with everyone just so that he could be strong.

_Gotta fight, gotta fight till I bleed_

_Gotta keep my head screwed on tight. _

_Gotta stay, gotta stay in the lead, _

_Gotta make sure I win this fight_

_It's okay if I'm a bit unstable, _

_I've been doing just fine on my own. _

_I don't care if I am in denial, _

_It's a mild syndrome. _

It was like he kept fighting himself. And he kept fighting everything that could tie him to his old life. He couldn't lose. He couldn't let _weak Horace_ exist. He hated it if he didn't fight, and he didn't know who he'd be if he didn't do that. He felt unstable without a weapon in hand. There was nothing wrong with him being a Repo Man, right? He'd been doing just fine on his own. Now Nathan and Himeko kept getting into his life, and he hated that!

_Gotta deal, gotta deal with the pain, _

_Gotta put up with all the lies. _

_Gotta break, gotta break off the chain, _

_Gotta silence all of the cries. _

He was schizo. He knew that. He was ruined by the funny farm. He knew that. And dammit, he was going to put up with everything he could. He'd lie and smile so that people thought he was _normal_. He had to break off the shackles and chains of the past. That would be the only way he'd be free.

_Gonna lose, gonna lose my own head, _

_Gonna finally run out of luck. _

_Gonna fall, gonna fall till I'm dead _

_And frankly, I don't give a... _

He didn't give a damn if he kept falling into the darkness. If he did it for Kossak, Horace knew that he'd be okay. He was going to die one day, likely dead because he displeased Rotti. When that happened, Kossak wouldn't understand what he did. She'd think he was some sort of bad mathematician that pissed off Rotti. He'd told her that he was a telemarketer for GeneCo and also an accountant because Rotti figured he could pay an accountant cheap to do telemarketing.

_It's okay if I'm a bit unstable, _

_I've been doing just fine on my own._

_ I don't care if I am in denial, _

_It's a mild syndrome. _

_The more I try,_

_The less I'm free._

_The more I fail,_

_The more I hate me._

He hated everything he did for GeneCo. But he had to do it. He had to do it or Kossak wouldn't be able to continue attending Our Lady of Perpetual Homework. He kept getting tied to Rotti, but that was okay. He was GeneCo through and through. Right?

_It's okay if I'm a bit unstable, _

_I've been doing just fine on my own. _

_I don't care if I am in denial, _

_It's a mild syndrome. _

He looked into the crowd and saw Nathan trying to get closer to the stage. Ugh. Was the asshole trying to sing a duet? No, no. Horace was doing just fine. He wasn't denying anything.

_Gotta run, gotta run till I fall, _

_Gotta keep on feeding the crave. _

_Gotta build, gotta build up my wall, _

_Gonna keep on digging my grave. _

Nathan tried to get up on the stage. Horace couldn't stop himself from shuddering. He had to keep fighting though. He had to build up his wall against his ex; otherwise he couldn't manage to get away. If Nathan only knew how hard Horace tried…

The bastard got up on the stage, and Horace yelped. He had to sing the next verse!

_Gotta fight, gotta fight till I bleed, _

_Gotta keep my head screwed on tight. _

_Gotta stay, gotta stay in the lead, _

_Gotta make sure I win this fight. _

_It's okay if I'm a bit unstable, _

_I've been doing just fine on my own. _

_I don't care if I am in denial, _

_It's a mild syndrome._

Nathan touched him on the shoulder. It was like he was saying that Horace was okay. But Horace didn't think he wanted the comfort. All he wanted was to make sure that he could get out of Karaoke Hell. The place was packed with fellow GeneCo employees, so it wasn't like Horace wouldn't have an unnoticed escape.

Reluctantly, Horace allowed the touch. Then he got down from the stage. He didn't want Nathan to have any more physical contact with him. They'd already been handcuffed together!

Of course, just when Horace got to his seat next to Kossak, Pavi and Luigi sauntered in. Well, Pavi sauntered. Luigi just walked. He was wearing a t-shirt that read _Lifetime Ban: Knife Hut_. Oh good lord. The Knife Hut was at this mall. And it had banned Luigi. God. Horace really hoped the place wasn't stabbed to bits. He feared for the life of the Knife Hut's owner; so far the Knife Hut had moved three times—that Horace was aware of—and evaded Luigi until GeneCo Karaoke Time. Either the Knife Hut guy was some kind of genius, or he was a _moron_ if he thought he could evade Luigi's Knife Sense.

Pavi spotted Horace, and promptly went to drape himself on his lap. "Ack! Get off my lap, you moron!" Horace yelled. "Personal space! Pavi, I have a personal bubble! If you violate my personal bubble, I will stab you or sic my sister on you, whichever is more convenient!"

"The Horace doesn't want attention from The Pavi?" Pavi's lips were perilously close to Horace's ear. Horace didn't even want to warn Pavi this time. He shoved Pavi off his lap and whacked him with the briefcase. It made a satisfying _thud_ as it connected with Pavi's body.

Kossak gnawed on Pavi's shoes, apparently seeing an opportunity to destroy expensive footwear. "I have taught you well, my young sister."


End file.
